332 
THE TEOPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Ncv. I, 1F97. 
It may Le judgcil from this passage alone that 
Mr. MiicDonald is a sanguine man and that he 
writes after a magniliceut fashion dealing in large 
figures. He is writing to Mr. T. Gibson, Hon. 
Secy, of the local Planters’ Association : — 
ill calculating the return from an Estate, I have 
taken, six mouths as the lime required for the plant 
to mature, but as you are aware, from your experience 
of Ramie on your Estate at Klaiig, it matures m 
three months. I have also taken the product at one 
ton only for the first six mouths, but properly planted 
this may he calculated at 1^ ton, also the product 
of the second year at Ij tons, when two tons per 
acre can be relied upon if the land is suitable. The 
estimate for machinery does not include buildnigs. 
"What I should suggest for the consideration of the 
Planters is that a central factory to degum the fibre 
should he erected on some suitable spot, and a battery 
of decorticators placed on each Estate where the 
Ramie is grown, so that the decorticated fibre only, 
need be sent to the Central Factory to be treated. 
Thus an enormous saviug in carriage would be effected; 
the decortioatois would be worked by the central 
factory, and credit would be given to the Planterfor 
the weight of stems decorticated daily, and according 
to the weight of stems decorticated the amount of 
his proportion of the profits of the central factory 
could be determined. The cost of the machinery tor 
the centra! factory, including working capital for six 
mouths, would not exceed £10,0C0, which will be 
returned in full with 9 months of the first crop, 
leaving a considerable profit, and after that the 
Planters will be receiving at least i'25 net profit per 
acre for every acre under cultivation. By doubling 
the item for decorticators the output of the central 
factory could be doubled, the other machinery being 
equal to the output of 2,4U0 acres. 
We may as well put Mr. jMacDonald’s sanguine fi- 
guves on veeord though we fancy few practical 
planters will put faith in those leferring to le- 
turns on working of estate;— 
EAMIE IN THE MALAY PENINSULA. 
Estimate of cost of necessary Machinery and 
erection thereof for treating the product of 1,200 
acres ; 900 being under cultivation, the rest being 
roads and paths. 
Decorticators, 4 Installations of 40 drams, £ 
one installation of 20 drums, with 4-12 
HP Engines .. .. 1,898 
Fixing and fitting same with brickwork 
including sheds .. .. 425 
Degumming machinery, including fit- 
tings, &c. .. •• 1,000 
Sleani boilers and engine.. .. 1,000 
Soaking tanks . . . . 250 
Chemical tanks . . . . 250 
Water tank . . • • 1-00 
Steam pumps and appliances . . 100 
Wharf with loading crane, weighing 
machiuery, &c. . . . . 500 
Soap tanks and fittings . . . . 125 
Fittings for treating sheds.. .. 250 
Steam barrel, steam valves and fittings 150 
Belting, say . . . . 100 
Baling machinery . . . . 500 
Sundries, say . . • • 127 
6,775 
Estimate of t.he first 12 months’ expense of thf. 
CULTIVATION OF THE EsTATE AFTER PLANTING. 
£ S d 
Allowing one coolie for eacii two acres 
of land for the cultivation and cutting 
purposes it will be necessary to employ 
450*^ coolies who will keep down the weeds 
for the first five weeks, and cut the stems 
as they ripen, but in case of illness allow 
for 480 at 6d per day, this will amount per 
annum to . • • • 3,208 5 0 
Cost 6 months tp.eating the fiuhe, say 
156 WORKING DAYS. 
The first cutting will take place from four 
to six months after planting, so that there 
will only be 6 months’ produce the first year. 
Coolies collecting the stems and deliver- 
ing to Decorticators, 2 to each 100 acres. 
18 at 6d per day 
70 
4 
330 coolies working Decorticators at 6d 
per day 
1,287 
0 
16 coolies assisting in Mill and Baling 
and wrapping, at 6d per day 
62 
8 
Chemicals to treat 450 tons at £2 per 
ton of Filasse 
900 
0 
Engineer, 6 months 
200 
0 
Cultivation Manager . . 
600 
0 
Works Manager, 6 months 
2.50 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
6,477 17 0 
Return from Estate First Year. 
£ s 
At the end of the first year from Planting 
it is estimated that the product will be at 
least 450 tons of cleaned fibre, ready for 
manufacturer. Taking the sale price of this 
at four-pence half-penny per lb. only, it 
amounts to . . . . 18,900 0 
£ s 
Cost of producing the above as 
on other side . . 6477 17 
Freight £2 per ton . . 900 0 
Brokerage and Incidentals, 2% 260 0 7637 17 
Working Profit 11,262 3 
The second year the Estate should he in 
full bearing, and producing 2 tons of cleaned 
fibre per acre, but for sate calculation we 
will only take it at 1 and a half tons per 
acre. 
Product of Estate, 1,350 tons at four-pence 
half penny per lb. (£42 per ton) . . 56,700 0 
Cost. £ s 
450 coolies cutting 
1,208 
5 
18 do. collecting stems 
and 
delivery to Decorticators 
140 
17 
230 coolies on decorticators 
1799 
15 
60 do. assisting in Mill 
and 
dryirg and baling sheds 
469 
10 
Chemicals £2 per ton 
2700 
0 
Engineers 
400 
0 
Managers 
1000 
0 
Freight, £2 per ton . . 
2700 
0 
Brokerage and Landing charges. 
say 2 per cent 
1134 
0 
Working Profit 43,147 13 
From these profits the Patentees Royalty of 25 % 
will have to be deducted. 
For the present we would only note one little point 
of discrep.aney: Mr. Matliieu writing on actual 
experience bases his estimate for Malaya on a 
3^ years to 4 years old ramie plantation: Mr. 
MacDonald begins operations in six months after 
planting ! It is a pity that planting opinion 
should, we feel, he prejudiced at the very outset by 
estimates and figures, whicli seem to ns far too 
glowing. Far better pleased would practical men be 
to see a well-considered moderate statement work 
out a poasi If profit of £ r> per acre than to be 
met with over £12 per acre profit tlie first year 
and well-nigh £50 of w’orking profit in the se- 
cond year from a cultivation which, so far a.s 
we know, no one has yet tried on a scale sufli- 
cient to justify reliable e.stimates for a jilanta- 
tioii at any rate in the Eastern world. Garden 
experiments are useful as guides ; but they ilo 
not count tor serioii.s estimates on a big scale with 
experienced tropical planters. 
The Southern province of Ceylon lias been 
described by practical men as “a paradise for 
